Chapter 7: The teacher passes away, and a beautiful white lotus appears.
Back home, seeing that it was still early, Zhang Ting steamed a pot of rice for herself, then went to Uncle Wang and traded half a bowl of rice for a large handful of green vegetables, which she then stir-fried.
Feeling incredibly full after dinner, I was about to take a stroll in the village.
Just as I locked the door, I turned around and saw a man and a woman wearing mourning caps and white linen clothes walking towards me.
The woman was Wang Laotong's only surviving second daughter. Her given name was Ying. She was honest and filial, but short in stature. She studied with her mother in Luchuan County, but Wang Ying was not academically inclined and made little progress. By the time the original owner of this body began her education, she had already stopped studying.
Later, due to the chaos, she moved to Lvtian County and bought land. She focused on farming to support her family and lived a relatively stable life. Unfortunately, her husband and daughter both died of illness two years ago. She is only thirty-five years old now. Her outer mourning clothes are neat, but the collar of her inner garment is patched. Her face is full of wrinkles, her complexion is ashen, and she looks like she is fifty years old.
Zhang Ting also knew the man; he was the only son of the eldest son of the old scholar, named Liu Xiuqun, and according to seniority, he was Zhang Ting's nephew.
During the chaos, Liu Xiuqun's father and his wife's family of five were all killed by bandits. He survived by staying at his maternal grandmother's house. After his mother's family died, he lived with his maternal grandmother and aunt. Now, he has just come of age, with a slender and thin figure, black hair flowing over his shoulders, and skin as white as snow. His eyes are full of sorrow, giving him a pitiful appearance that evokes pity.
But Zhang Ting had no time to appreciate it at the moment; she sensed something was wrong.
really--
Wang Ying handed the neatly arranged mourning clothes to Zhang Ting, his voice trembling with tears: "Mother passed away at noon today! Sister Zhang, come with me to the funeral!"
Her mother had been a tutor for many years and had countless students. She couldn't remember what it was like when Zhang Ting studied with her mother, but now she was the only one in the village who could help with the funeral arrangements.
Zhang Ting pretended to be shocked and fell backward, then grabbed the door frame to steady herself, crying out, "Teacher, how could you leave me like this!" As she spoke, she seemed to lose her balance and slid down again.
He cried even more bitterly than a biological daughter; who wouldn't say that the bond between master and disciple was profound?
Wang Ying and Liu Xiuqun stepped forward to help her up. Wang Ying was deeply moved and sobbed, "My mother has passed away. She valued my younger sister when she was alive. You must take good care of yourself!" Since Zhang Ting started her education, she had rarely contacted her family. She thought the two families had an ordinary relationship. She never expected that Zhang Ting valued her mother so much.
Zhang Ting sadly brushed past the two and staggered forward, saying, "I need to see my teacher!"
Seeing that she was unsteady on her feet, Liu Xiuqun quickly ran over to support her. Tears still clung to her face, and she looked at Zhang Ting with red eyes, gently advising, "Miss Zhang, you must take care of yourself. Your grandfather would never want to see you so distressed." As she spoke, she turned her head and began to sob, revealing her fair neck.
Zhang Ting was crying in grief when he suddenly smelled a strong scent of perfume. He almost sneezed, quickly sniffed, and turned around to take the mourning clothes from Wang Ying's hands.
"Please wait for me to go back to my room and change." She said, wiping away a tear.
As soon as Zhang Ting closed the door, he sneezed. The scent of the face powder that Liu's little nephew used was just too overpowering!
After changing into mourning clothes and putting on a mourning hat, Zhang Ting took out seven taels of silver and put it away, feeling dejected as he thought that he couldn't keep the money.
The three returned to the funeral home. Zhang Ting deliberately stood on Wang Ying's side, afraid of being affected by the incense powder again, which made Liu Xiuqun look at her with aggrieved expression.
Wang Ying had already cried so hard that he couldn't smell anything, and he was talking to Zhang Ting about the details of the funeral arrangements. Zhang Ting responded while sobbing.
Upon reaching the entrance, staring at the hanging funeral couplets, Zhang Ting seemed to completely collapse, supporting herself against the left door as she ran to the mourning hall, wailing and lamenting.
The guests who came to pay their respects wiped away their tears and asked one after another who this person was.
Wang Ying, who followed her in, replied with red eyes, "He is my mother's favorite student, and he has already passed the imperial examination." She had heard her mother mention that only two of her students had passed the imperial examination, and Zhang Ting was one of them. She also saw how much Zhang Ting loved her mother, and she guessed that their friendship must have been formed because her mother had taught him everything she knew.
In reality, the original owner only studied with the old scholar for half a year before her mother found another scholar to teach her.
Those who knew about this either died in the chaos five years ago or died today.
When the guests heard that this person had already achieved the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the imperial examination at the county level), they praised her for her youthful talent and deep affection.
Wang Ying helped Zhang Ting, who was crying so hard she was almost collapsing, to her feet, and said, choking back tears, "Later, I'll have to trouble you to thank the guests. Please remember to hold on!"
Zhang Ting helped Wang Ying straight up, and said through sobs, "My teacher's kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain, and this unfilial disciple should repay it in return."
The guests then got a clear look at her. The woman in front of them had fair skin like jade, and her appearance was exquisite. Her bright eyes revealed a deep sorrow, and her messy hair clung to her face, making her look even more dejected.
They were all deeply moved: that old scholar actually had such a remarkable and grateful disciple!
Wang Ying then introduced the guests to Zhang Ting. They were all relatives and friends who had been separated from each other in Luchuan County. Zhang Ting greeted them one by one and then went to the door to thank the guests.
At the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), the lights were lit, candles filled the mourning hall, and many guests came to pay their respects. One of them arrived on horseback, followed by several attendants.
This person was about thirty years old, tall and strong, dressed in a brocade robe and fur coat, with regular features. She had an imposing presence, like the kind of official's wife that commoners fear most. Yet, her red eyes revealed that she had come to offer condolences.
Zhang Ting choked back tears as she thanked her for coming to pay her respects and then invited her inside.
County Magistrate Niu was puzzled. She had seen Wang Laotongsheng's daughter before, and she was not the person in front of her. However, the important thing at the moment was to pay respects to her teacher, so she went to the mourning hall first.
When County Magistrate Niu kowtowed to his teacher, she couldn't be as moved as Zhang Ting; her eyes only reddened and her face was filled with sorrow.
With swollen eyes, Wang Ying came to thank Magistrate Niu, saying, "I'm so grateful that you came all this way to see my mother one last time."
County Magistrate Niu said, "My teacher has been kind to me as if he were my second father; how could I not come?"
Wang thanked her, but she was the only woman in the family and had many responsibilities. After instructing County Magistrate Niu, she went off to attend to other matters.
County Magistrate Niu stood still in the mourning hall for a while, then went to the courtyard and casually asked the guests who the person outside was who was offering thanks to them.
The guests were just elderly villagers who didn't know her. Seeing her rich clothes, they assumed she was a relative of the old scholar.
The elderly, deeply aware of the pain of parting, were moved by the sight of Zhang Ting's mourning. They heard from others that everyone praised her kindness and loyalty. In the elders' words, Zhang Ting was a young woman of profound affection and exceptional talent. The old scholar had meticulously taught her, eventually nurturing her into a scholar. She regarded her teacher as her second parents, showing him utmost respect, often bringing him water and food, taking meticulous care of him. Even when he was sick and needed medicine, she was there to attend to him. But Heaven still took the old scholar away… As they spoke, it was as if they had witnessed it themselves, and they couldn't help but sob and weep.
Upon hearing this, Magistrate Niu felt deeply guilty. His teacher had been very kind to her, yet she had not only failed to serve him but had also caused his junior sister to suffer so much.
He let out a sigh of relief, asked Wang Ying for mourning clothes to wear, and together with Zhang Ting, bowed to thank the guests.
Subsequently, Wang Ying was summoned away by Liu Xiuqun.
The guests were not all gone until 9 PM.
After Liu Xiuqun heated up the food for everyone, he said in a low voice, "Thank you for your help today. I will need to trouble you both again tomorrow and the day after." A white silk flower adorned his dark hair, and his expression was sorrowful, making him look quite pitiful.
Even Magistrate Niu was stunned, truly proving the saying, "If you want to look good, wear mourning clothes."
Zhang Ting didn't even look up. Although she had eaten dinner, she was already very hungry today because she had been so tired. The food was also very delicious. After eating one bowl of rice, she scooped out another.
Wang Ying stared blankly at the ground, seemingly lost in thought, and didn't even eat.
The atmosphere was extremely quiet at this moment. Zhang Ting lifted her head from her rice bowl, and her eyes inadvertently met Liu Xiuqun's. The other party asked gently, "Miss Zhang, I'm so sorry to have troubled you today. Would you like another bowl of rice?"
Zhang Ting could detect a hint of gritted teeth in his gentle tone, and thinking he was annoyed that she had eaten too much, she put down her chopsticks and gave an awkward smile: "No need, I'm done."
Wang Ying finally came to his senses and, looking pale, introduced himself to County Magistrate Niu and Zhang Ting.
Upon hearing that she was the county magistrate, Zhang Ting felt a deep respect and bowed to her.
County Magistrate Niu quickly helped Zhang Ting up and said, "As a fellow disciple, I have failed my teacher and junior sister. How dare I accept your courtesy?"
Zhang Ting spoke with her about the funeral arrangements for a few minutes, and then asked about Wang Ying's plans. The three of them chatted until the end of Hai hour (9-11 PM).
Before leaving, Zhang Ting called Wang Ying aside and handed her the seven taels of silver he had brought.
"This is the money my teacher used to help me with my exams. Now that the funeral is in full swing, there are many expenses. Take this money for urgent use. If it's not enough, my sister can help me raise more." Of course, Zhang Ting's last sentence was just a formality. Seven taels of silver was more than enough for a funeral, and Wang Ying was a filial daughter who would never embezzle her mother's funeral money.
The mother never mentioned this money to Wang Ying, which shows that she did not want to return it to her disciple as a gift. How could Wang Ying accept it?
When Zhang Ting saw that she wouldn't accept it, he asked her why and learned of the old scholar's intentions. He opened his mouth in surprise, wanting to say something but then stopped himself.
He forcefully pressed the money into Wang Ying's hand, and said with a serious face, "Sister Wang, I am my teacher's disciple. My teacher has been very kind to me, giving me money to take the exam. My feelings for my teacher are sincere. Please accept this money!"
"Your sister knows your difficulties and doesn't want to put you in a difficult position."
Wang Ying stared blankly at the silver in her hand, then suddenly hugged Zhang Ting and burst into tears. Her arms were patched under her armpits; this was the most presentable outfit she had ever worn.
At that moment, she thought of her dying mother, the words her nephew had spoken in front of the mourning hall, and the notice from the brokerage firm.
Knowing that the family had no money left, the terminally ill mother told her to find a mat, wrap the body in it, and bury it.
Her nephew knelt before her, begging her not to sell him to someone else as a servant.
The funeral expenses for the mother were seven taels of silver, and the betrothal gifts for the nephew were also seven taels of silver.
Her indenture also cost seven taels.
These seven taels are money to save my life.
A note from the author:
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